Guns, Children in 40% of Households

WASHINGTON — More than 40% of American households with children ages 3 to 17 also have guns, according to a poll by a gun-control advocacy group.

Among the households with children that were surveyed, 7% have handguns, 17% have rifles or shotguns and 18% have both a handgun and a long gun.

The survey, sponsored by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, found that the guns are kept loaded at least some of the time in 23% of these households.

The poll was released Friday at a two-day conference of gun-control advocates. The poll's sponsors said they hoped it would help make Americans think more about their children's safety in relation to guns.

Bill Powers, a spokesman for the National Rifle Assn., said his group encourages all gun owners to take courses to learn how to safely store guns.

The survey of 806 parents was conducted by telephone by Peter Hart Research Associates from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.